Head Over Heels
by Puckulence
Summary: Edd's having trouble sleeping at night; how is he supposed to sleep when his mind is on Marie? Tangled up in her, Edd starts to understand a little thing called love. EddxMarie


_AN: I apologize for my long absence. These last few months have been very busy on my part, but I'm officially out for the summer, so fanfics will probably start being posted again soon on a more regular basis. Thank you for the reviews and favs I've still gotten regardless of my absence. - Puckulence_

**Head Over Heels**

_"You keep your distance with a system of touch and gentle persuasion. Could I need you this much?"_

In the darkness of the night, struggling to fall into the realm of sleep, Eddward lay out on his mattress, eyes focused on the ceiling. He laced his fingers together and laid them over his chest, breathing in and out slowly, trying to rest his mind in order to go to sleep. Bright moonlight poured through the cracks of his blinds, and he fluttered his eyes open. Sleep was evading him tonight, not unlike many others before it.

Now, his inability to slumber was not caused by any trauma; there were no nightmares from the deep recesses of his mind that plagued him once he shut his eyes. He was not stressed, stretched to the point of breaking, or had any problems with friends. No, none of these reasons were keeping him up until the early hours of the morn. He knew, all too well, what was haunting him. A ghost he couldn't get rid of; a curse, almost, he feared.

When Eddward gently shut his eyes, be it in the daytime when he and his friends were doing their usual deeds or the night when he attempted to sleep, picture shows played in his mind. Images danced across his eyelids, enticing him to stay awake and think. A pair of big, sultry eyes with irises the color of the most precious sapphires blinked at him in the darkness from under their thick, black lashes. Milk glass skin shone brightly, glowing like the moonlight outside. A pair of red lips grinned, only to have a pink tongue slip out and run over them, leaving them with a glossy sheen. Wisps of blue hair fell over this face, and he had the urge to gently move it away, to see every last detail. Every night the details got clearer, and on this night in particular, he was sure he could count every freckle that was dusted lightly across the cheekbones. Every day, whenever he shut his eyes, it was as if he were dreaming.

Eddward wasn't entirely sure if he had ever wanted something quite as badly. Need, forceful like an ocean current, rose inside of him. Color flushed his face as he thought about it, about how he craved to touch her. He wanted his hands in her azure hair, wanted to lean forward and smell the remnants of coconut shampoo. He could imagine his hands sliding down to cup her face and even lower to touch other places. In his strongest fantasies, he even had the fortitude to move his face closer to hers and lightly press his lips against hers until she wrapped herself around him.

A heaviness hit Eddward's middle like a sledgehammer. A feeling similar to guilt rose inside of him, but he was unsure of whether or not he should feel guilty. This desire was part of being male, he knew, but it didn't feel gentleman-like to envision a lady such a way. His mouth twisted at his own terminology; he wasn't sure "lady" described the girl in his dreams. She was rough, coarse, and rude, "I don't give a damn" written all over her face. But he had a feeling that she was beautiful under there.

Marie Kanker was the unlikely person of his affection. He himself didn't know how he had come to this, yearning for her touch and wishing for more than their game of cat and mouse. She had been his torturer for ages, since her and her sisters had first moved to Peach Creek. She had a menacing nature to her; she was unrelenting in her pursuits of him. Marie would often hunt him down and tackle him before smothering him with kisses, staining his face red from her thick layers of lipstick. This had always irked him, the physical attention he didn't want from her, and the ridicule he suffered from peers afterwards was unpleasant. Somehow though, along the road, he had become infatuated with her.

If he thought hard about it, he could almost pinpoint when it began to be noticeable. One day, back in the heat of June, the Kanker sisters had crept out of their trailer park to play. The three boys, Eddy, Ed, and himself, had decided to split up this time, in hopes of tiring them quickly. Eddward had fled towards the alleyway as fast as his legs could carry him, but considering his lack of physical strength, Marie caught up to him in a flourish. She pushed him against the warm boards of the fence, bit her bottom lip as she considered what to do. A sheen of nervous sweat had broken out across his skin, and he almost protested as one small, pale hand reached for his face. He squeezed his eyes shut, expecting pain or something similar, but instead he felt her hands wipe away the moisture from his face. He cracked open one eye to see her rubbing hands dry on her cargo pants. Her hand returned to caress him gently, and he opened both eyes to stare directly into hers.

Marie's eyes, he realized, were the most brilliant shade of blue he had ever seen. The clearest of skies could not compare to the cerulean color of her eyes. She blinked at him, and, realizing he had been gaping at her, he looked away shyly. Marie grabbed his hands and pulled him away from the wall; he didn't run. Her arms cinched around his thin waist and she pressed her gently rounded hips into his. Edd's mind suddenly felt viscous, each thought slow and thick like molasses. Marie tipped her face closer until her forehead touched his and shut her eyes. Her pretty red mouth curved up at the sides, and it was the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. For once, he didn't yell or thrash or protest as she pursed her lips and pressed them to his.

A sensation not unlike a flame flickered inside of him. Her wet lips worked against his, and he felt paralyzed by her touch. He felt her kiss with not only his mouth, but his entire body. The sensation was strong through his mid region, and his face flushed deeply as his hands involuntarily rested on her hips. Marie obviously didn't mind, as he felt her nip at his bottom lip. He parted his lips to protest, only to feel her warm tongue slip into his mouth. She played around inside of him, enjoying herself, while he stayed as still as possible, unsure of what to do at this point.

She pulled away from him now, and his lips followed briefly, adhered to hers by saliva and lipstick. Marie stared at him, and he couldn't do much besides stare back. She leaned forward to plant a kiss around his ear lobe before she slipped out of his grasp. She giggled something about seeing him around, tone as sardonic as ever, and she disappeared around the fence. Edd, head swimming in a sea of mud, sat down quickly. His mouth tingled, the touch of her lips lingering there. From thigh to navel, his body pulsed with a passion he had never felt before, and he quickly covered himself in shame. He stayed where he was, hiding in that alley, until he felt presentable. Instead of finding his friends and making sure they were safe from harm, Eddward had gone directly home to sort his thoughts out.

Unfortunately, he had not sorted his thoughts out then and still couldn't now. Eddward was confused, feelings tangled up with strong desire. He knew that what he felt for Marie was partly lust, to his chagrin, but he wanted to know if there was something more there. Did he think of her with thoughts of affection? Had she replaced Nazz as his crush? He bit his lip in thought.

Marie had gotten him to lust for her through games. She kissed him only when she wanted to, touched him here and there when it suited her. She pushed him away, too, letting him taste not only her mouth, but her fist as well. He didn't know if she held real amorous emotions, or if he was just some toy she liked to mess with. The only thing he did know was that if she kept tantalizing him, he would go crazy.

Irritated, Eddward tossed around in his bed once more; these thoughts always got him worked up in the worst ways. In a sense, he was angry at Marie simply because she was the subject of the dreams that kept him awake at night. He wanted to grab her by the shoulders, tell her she didn't have to tease anymore. The very idea of facing her, vocalizing the thoughts that ran through his mind and rove him crazy, was just unspeakable.

He flopped on his back, eyes traveling towards the ceiling. His mind drifted, thinking about her once more. This time, his mind contemplated things over than her body and face. He thought about how she read magazines for cars, wondered if she fixed them and how skilled she was with machinery. He remembered the first time they met, how they had mentioned having three different fathers, and he wanted to question her about her home life. Edd could imagine her crying, sobbing over the pain of such a struggling family, and he desperately wanted to console her. He saw himself holding her, stroking her back as she wept.

The flame that had set inside of him that day back in June now smoldered, rising into a full-fledged fire. His chest burned and, with great clarity, he began to understand his feelings. All though he lusted for Marie, feelings of something more grew within him. His heart ached as he realized that the world of love was not as happy as poets and writers made it sound. It was not a happy field, filled with flowers and romance. It reminded him more of a tide, crashing into the beach and rattling every nerve. Love sought out victims, groped for their ankles, and pulled them in deep. Edd only hoped that he would not drown in the undertow.


End file.
